In the fast food industry, two-sided cooking grills are used to reduce the cooking times of hamburgers and the like, while providing uniform cooking to given specifications. Typically, two-sided cooking grills include a lower fixed grill and an upper heated platen pivotally connected with the lower grill for movement between opened and closed positions. When the movable platen is in the closed position, it is normally parallel to the fixed surface and in contact with the upper surface of the food product on the lower grill, whereby the product is cooked from both sides. The present invention relates to an improved removable cooking surface assembly for the upper movable platen.